From Burlesque Blues To The Icons of Australian Jazz, The 2017 Mornington Winter Jazz & Blues Festival Has It All…. With the Mornington Winter Jazz and Blues Festival now just weeks away excitement is starting to build as Mornington gets set to welcome some of Australia’s finest musicians and artists to the Peninsula for one very special long weekend. As always Mornington bars and restaurants will come alive with the sound of swingin’ jazz and smooth blues from Friday 9th June to Sunday 11th across the Queens Birthday Long Weekend. In addition this year sees a return of the ever…
Author: MP News Group
MORNINGTON’S Delsie Storie, pictured, was born at Castlemaine in 1917 and has lived through two world wars, witnessed the evolution of the motorcar, radio, aeroplane, computer, internet and watched men walking on the moon in 1969. Ms Storie met husband John just before WWII and they were married for 54 years, with Delsie nursing Jack for his final years. On Friday 5 May she celebrated her 100th birthday at Morven Manor in Mornington, and the next day enjoyed high tea at Lotus Chiropractic, Mt Eliza, with many of the people she has met and spent time with over the years.…
POLICE are offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the person involved in the hit-and-run death of Frankston woman Jennifer Moller outside Karingal Bowling Club five years ago. Ms Moller was waiting to cross Skye Rd, Frankston, 1.30pm, on 27 April 2012, when she was struck by a car, believed to be a 2011 white Mercedes Benz sedan. The 54-year-old was treated at the scene by paramedics but later died. The driver fled the scene. Detectives believe the reward will entice someone with key information to come forward. Husband John Moller, 53, said: “It’s…
A COMMEMORATION to mark the 125th anniversary of the drowning of 15 Mornington Football Club players in 1892 will be held 2pm, Sunday 21 May. The event will be at the footballers’ memorial, above, on the corner of the Esplanade and Schnapper Point Drive, Mornington. The public is invited to the commemoration followed by afternoon tea at the Bay Hotel, 62 Main St, organised by Mornington and District Historical Society. The footballers were returning on a fishing boat from a match at Mordialloc which foundered as it approached Pelican Point, off Mt Eliza. The skipper, Charles Hooper, was a player…
IT IS hard to imagine a greater contrast – the beautiful seaside town of Mornington, with its thriving lifestyle – and war-torn and starving South Sudan where just staying alive is the main concern. Yet, they are linked by a former Melbourne school headmaster and the generosity of a Mornington church. South Sudan is suffering from a long and brutal civil war. It is one of four nations described by the United Nations as in the grip of famine. Millions of people may die of starvation. Located in the heart of Africa, it is the youngest nation in the world,…
MORE than 40 Mornington Peninsula business women got together on Thursday 11 May for the Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea event in Dromana’s Green Room, raising $3236 for the Cancer Council. Magician Cath Jamison entertained while auction items included manicures, massages and food. Held by the Mornington Peninsula Business Women Facebook Group, the annual event was part of a national campaign to recognise how the Cancer Council saves lives through prevention, and offers counselling and support services. “The day is as much about supporting each other in our community as it is about supporting the Cancer Council. We were thrilled to…
BURGLARS used a Tootgarook family’s trailer to steal a range of household and sporting items after first turning off the power and immobilising the house’s alarm, possibly Sunday night, 30 April. The thefts at the Plain St property were not discovered for a few days as the family was away. Detective Senior Constable Alex Montgomery, of Somerville CIU, said it appeared the thieves waited days before the alarm was run down allowing them to break in undetected. They loaded the trailer, registration X36917, with a ride-on mower, 125cc quad bike, women’s Giant mountain bike, and a large amount of fishing,…
HASTINGS Liberal MP Neale Burgess predicts schools around the Western Port area “will continue to suffer” after missing out on extra funding in the latest state budget. “Following the release of the Victorian budget on Tuesday, [the Premier] Daniel Andrews and his government have been crowing about their investment in schools, yet only one school within the District has recorded additional funding,” Mr Burgess said. “Perseverance Primary School on French Island has secured $72,000 for an upgrade to facilities, while the other 19 government schools have missed out.” “Although it’s pleasing to see Perseverance Primary finally being put on the…
Dromana members have interviewed a 35-year-old Dromana woman following a crash at Safety Beach last night. Emergency services were called to Dromana Parade about 11.45pm after reports that a car had crashed into a parked car. Police attended and spoke to the 35-year-old and checked that her 11-year-old male passenger was okay. The driver underwent a preliminary breath test and was required to attend a police station for an evidentiary test. An evidentiary breath test returned a reading of 0.173%. The woman had her licence immediately suspended and is expected to be charged on summons for drink driving and other…
A generous donation has enabled Mornington Peninsula residents to access scalp cooling during their cancer treatment, in an attempt to reduce their hair loss, at The Bays Hospital. This service was previously only available if they travelled to Brighton or further in to the city for their chemotherapy treatment. Patients are offered the complimentary use of this new technology at The Bays as part of their chemotherapy treatment, to reduce chemotherapy-induced hair loss. Scalp cooling has been offered for patients at Melbourne hospitals including Cabrini Brighton since 2015 and more recently Epworth Richmond, which is where many Mornington Peninsula patients…
SOCCER By Craig MacKenzie LANGWARRIN remained on top of the State 1 South-East ladder after downing St Kilda 2-0 at Lawton Park on Saturday. Gus Macleod’s side now faces a crunch fixture against second-placed outfit Caulfield United Cobras at Victory Park next weekend. Langy’s new Scottish signing Liam Baxter took just three minutes to make a major impact last weekend when he skinned an opponent on the left and surged into the penalty area before watching his cutback deflected by Sam Sweeney for an own goal. Big George Whiteoak was at the near post to head home Connor Belger’s corner…
RAY Rogers has always been into art and things that look interesting. So what better way to utilise his passion for the creative than to commission murals outside his Dromana bottle shop, Sea Breeze Cellars. “When I first bought the bottle shop over four years ago, it was run down and so our first priority has been to stock it with the best quality spirits. We have achieved that and are now regarded by patrons and suppliers as one of the top three stores in Victoria for the vast range of spirits we have on offer,” said Ray. “We then…
ANTI-bullying seminars for children aged 6-14 and their parents will be held at a Mornington martial arts centre next month. The free seminars are aimed at teaching children practical strategies to help them identify and deal with bullying behaviour and how to “buddy” rather than “bully” others. “Bullying is still a huge problem, and we believe that no other industry is better equipped to end bullying than martial arts,” said Glenn Shand, owner and chief instructor of Peninsula Kung Fu. The centre is a member of Martial Artists Against Bullying, an international organisation with hundreds of members devoted to “ending…
RED Hill South resident Jill McLachlan retired from work just over 12 months ago but, wanting to do something that could make a difference to others, she investigated volunteering opportunities. “I had spent much of my working life supporting staff and mentoring younger women, a lot of who told me I was good at this sort of thing,” she said. “With some free time I thought I should find some volunteering work where I could use my skills to help others and provide me with a sense of fulfilment.” Ms McLachlan is one of about 36,000 residents – of 17.8…
A VARIED range of exhibitions are planned over the next few months at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Mornington. Max & Olive: The photographic life of Olive Cotton and Max Dupain, a travelling exhibition by the National Gallery of Australia, looks at the work of the photographers who shared lives, a studio and professional practice. It focuses on a key period in their careers – 1934-45 – when they made many of their most memorable images. Their work often involved shooting the same subjects, or pursuing subjects and pictorial effects in similar ways. Iconic Australian Houses: An exhibition by Karen…
A Flinders couple missing on their way home from South Australia has been found safe and well. An 81-year-old man and his 74-year-old wife were driving back but but failed to arrive as expected. Searchers found them safe and well, 2.30pm, Monday 1 May, about 15km from their car, which had become bogged in an area called Lake Mundi-Dergholm. The couple’s family has been notified. Police would like to thank the media and the public for their assistance
PUFFING Billy took on 2500 intrepid runners on Sunday in the 36th Great Train Race between Belgrave and Emerald – including four from Tyabb. The 13.5km course was tortuous and hilly, the competitors said. At the start, to even things up, Puffing Billy’s driver Graeme Hind had to start on the road beside the runners and run the length of the train to board his mount and get things under way. Then, at Lakeside station, he had to run to the finish line further along to get Puffing Billy’s official race time. Among the Tyabb contingent, Gemma Maini, who grew…
WHILE there is no shortage of volunteers wanting to get the Holy Trinity Anglican Church’s opportunity shop back in business, its reopening depends on engineers’ assessing the building’s “structural integrity and safety”. The op shop and adjoining church were gutted in an early morning blaze on Friday 31 March. Police have said they believe the fire was deliberately lit. “We are waiting for forensic investigators and structural engineers to complete their assessments of the structural integrity and safety of the building,” church warden Don Johnston said. “Once those reports are completed, we should know if rebuilding this historic old church…
HASTINGS and Bittern CFA brigades fought a yard fire at a Hastings garden supplies business, corner of Frankston-Flinders Rd and Haddock St, 11pm, Wednesday 26 April. First Lieutenant Alan Millar, of Hastings CFA, said the fire was contained to a pile of scrap metal and rubbish, with no buildings involved. He said an occupant had lit a small fire for warmth but it got into the debris pile and he could not extinguish it himself. Four appliances with 15 fire fighters took a couple of hours to extinguish the blaze and mop up. It is not considered suspicious. First published…
A MAN fishing off the rocks at Cape Schanck on Sunday 30 April was lucky to escape with his life after being swept into the sea seas by a wave, 1pm. Senior Sergeant Phillip Hulley, of Frankston police, said the man, 46, of Kew, was one of seven men swept into the water when a large swell caught them unawares. Six clamoured back but the seventh was in a bad way when he managed to climb back to safety. The Air Ambulance took the man to The Alfred hospital with serious but not life threatening injuries. Senior Sergeant Hulley said…
A STATUE of Bunjil – the wedge-tailed eagle creator and spiritual being – now sits at the entrance to the Willum Warrain Aboriginal gathering place at Hastings. The unveiling of the statue on Friday was also timely in that it marked the recent reopening of the centre which had been closed due to lack of money. “This is a significant day for our mob,” Wullum Wirrain president Peter Aldenhoven said. “We have recently been closed for four and a half months as we temporarily had no funding for staff and operating costs. “This [its temporary closure] caused great dismay to…
SOCCER By Craig MacKenzie LANGWARRIN has thrown down the gauntlet to other title contenders by signing Scottish striker Liam Baxter from NPL outfit Goulburn Valley Suns. And the State 1 South-East leader will strengthen further with the return of gun central defender Kieron Kenny who went back to England in March following a family bereavement. Kenny is due to arrive in Melbourne tomorrow (Tuesday). Baxter, 24, was on the books of Scottish Premier League outfit Inverness Caledonian Thistle until he was 17 when he decided to leave to get more first team football. He played in the Highland League with…
By Jarrod Potter MELBOURNE Boomers unveiled its Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) centre-piece on Thursday after bringing Liz Cambage home. Cambage, 25, originally from Mt Eliza, will lace up for her first home season in five years in the upcoming 2017/18 WNBL season. The 25-year-old centre won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics with the Australian Opals, has played in the Women’s National Basketball Association for the Tulsa Shock and has also had several other professional achievements throughout China. After a year of soul-searching and contemplation spent away from the court, Cambage returns refreshed and ready to take…
After a 13 year hiatus ARIA nominated, Australian metal outfit SUPERHEIST are back and one thing is for sure, they are here to RAISE HELL. The band who have achieved gold record status and previously toured with rap god EMINEM are coming in hot. Superheist have delivered a heavy hitting and uncompromising AAA Side in a brazen display of what is arguably the band’s best work to date. Kicking off with ‘Raise Hell’ a hectic four minutes of in your face, thought provoking nu metal. Followed by ‘Got The Bounce’ an explosive mix of Wu Tang meets Messhuga perfectly walking…
By Teresa Murphy THE retro brown-brick facade remains and crowds still queue for fish ‘n’ chips at peak holiday times, but much has changed at Balnarring Beach’s general store. Now called Tulum Store, after Balnarring’s original name*, the historic store and cafe was reincarnated in 2016, closing for six months for extensive renovations and reopening for summer. It was a baptism by fire for new owner Cath Haylock, who oversaw the makeover with local tradies, created new menus, hired staff and dealt with the summer chaos – all while being a mum of two young kids. Tulum Store is a…
A MOTORCYCLIST who died after colliding with a minibus on French Island on Sunday 23 April was not wearing a helmet. Leading Senior Constable Lauren McNiece, of Somerville Highway Patrol, said the man, 27, of French Island, was riding east along Tankerton Rd around a left-hand bend when he crashed into a minibus travelling west, 4.20pm. She said speed may have been a factor as the motorcyclist appeared to have been unable to take the bend on the dirt road before running head on into the minibus. He was not wearing a helmet and died at the scene. The driver of…
THE old rule that nurses “live in” during their training years ago forged bonds which are still strong today. This was apparent when 35 out of a group of 50 former nurses at the Royal Melbourne Hospital met in Mornington earlier this month for 50-year reunion celebrations. They included an open house at Maureen O’Brien’s home near Fisherman’s Beach, a cocktail lunch at the Royal Hotel the next day and an afternoon tea at Chris Knott’s home in Rye the day after. “Discipline was harsh when we began training in April 1967,” Ms O’Brien recalled. “The hours were long and…
THE Mornington lodge of Freemasons Victoria last week gave $10,000 to help the Luke Batty Foundation’s advocacy for “a government that supports and respects victims of domestic violence, and holds perpetrators accountable”. The donation was accepted at the lodge in Barkly St on Thursday 20 April by Rosie Batty whose son Luke was killed by his father Greg Anderson at cricket practice, on Wednesday 12 February 2014. Since the Luke Batty Foundation’s inception, Ms Batty has continued to be a voice for victims while campaigning for systemic change, by ensuring family and domestic violence remains a priority on the political…
PATIENTS and staff at Peninsula Health’s The Mornington Centre have made a poppy trail for the Mornington Secondary College’s WWI avenue of honour as part of the school’s Anzac Day celebrations. “I think it’s very clever and it’s nice to do something in remembrance of Anzac Day,” said patient Audrey Whelan. Jenny Mann, of Mornington, encouraged patients at the centre to get involved, along with students from local schools and visitors to the store, as she wanted to “do something special” to commemorate Anzac Day. “I wanted to get different members of the community involved so it’s a community poppy…
LEARNING the ropes takes on a new meaning when it’s backed by a court order. For the past 10 years many young offenders have been “sentenced” to teaming up with police to take on the challenges posed by a giant swing and tree top ropes. And the results, according to the Ropes Program organisers at the YMCA’s Camp Manyung, Mt Eliza, is that 90 per cent of the young participants have not reoffended. The program was established under a partnership between Victoria Police, Dandenong Children’s Court, Sport and Recreation Victoria and YMCA Camp Manyung to give first time offenders under…